God's Grace Meets Your Need
My daughter, who was two years old when we brought her home from Ethiopia, didn’t sleep at night. For over a year. I call that year "My Zombie Year." I was half-asleep for most of it.
While I certainly didn’t deserve it, as I’ll show you in a minute, my friends showed me grace throughout the year. They met my needs and forgave my slip ups, repeatedly.
Sometimes, grace looked like a hot latte left on my doorstep by a friend who knew, without me saying it, that I needed a caffeine boost.
Once, grace looked like a friend who withheld judgement and accepted my apology.
I had borrowed a pair of cleats from this friend so my youngest son could play soccer. He played. The season ended. He grew. Somewhere, months after soccer season, I found the cleats, realized they no longer fit, and donated them to Goodwill. How efficient of me.
Then soccer season came around again and my friend called to get her cleats back. It was time for her son to use them. Uh, what cleats? I honestly did not remember borrowing them. I wracked my brain but the memory was gone, along with most of the memories from "My Zombie Year". It was my husband who recalled donating the cleats. I was horrified! I could not believe I gave away someone else’s shoes!
I called my friend and explained what happened. I apologized and offered to pay for new cleats. She had every right to be upset but she didn’t speak a harsh word. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she had. She accepted my apology and said she understood. She offered me grace.
God gave my friend the wisdom to withhold judgment and extend kindness I didn’t deserve. It was an unnatural response to being wronged which is how I know it came from God through my friend. It was grace and I needed it.
God knew what my friend could not have known—I was having a hard time. Not only was I tired, worn down, and feeling like a failure as a mom (Why can’t I help my child sleep?), but I was having a hard time giving myself grace. I couldn’t forgive myself for forgetting I had borrowed those cleats, even though forgetting is a perfectly natural symptom of chronic fatigue. I needed to give myself grace.
God knows what we need. He knows when we need encouragement and forgiveness (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17), and when we need sleep and strength (Ps 4:8; 68:34-35). Sometimes, He gives us the grace we need through miraculous methods. And sometimes, He gives us grace through our friends.
Grace shows us that God knows us and cares about the details in our lives. When we receive grace, we are reminded that God is able to provide what we need when we need it. The right response is, "Thank you."
Questions for Reflection:
What do you need? When has God given you grace when you needed it? How does his faithfulness in your past help you count on his grace for your current need?
